Police Grants Article

N.H. city uses grant money to crack down on impaired drivers

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — The city's police force is using $43,000 in grant money to crack down on speeders, drunken drivers and red light-running motorists.

The grants, recently accepted by the City Council, come from the N.H. Department of Highway Safety. The five separate grants are $8,580 for DWI/DUI patrols, $12,168 for sobriety checkpoints, $7,436 for pedestrian patrols, $7,436 for red light-running patrols and $7,436 for speed enforcement patrols. Police Chief Stephen DuBois said the money will allow the department to staff a sobriety checkpoint and fund a "DWI hunter" patrol.

The city has seen a dramatic decrease in DWI arrests in the last several years. Statistics show police made 117 DWI arrests in 2009, then 65 in 2010 and 64 in 2011. In its application for the grant, police said the city is a popular destination as a result of the 129 establishments that serve or sell alcohol.